


Double-Time

by Serriya (Keolah)



Series: Interdimensional Bridge [3]
Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Star Wars, Warhammer 40.000
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Crossover, Dimension Travel, Gen, Time Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-02-11
Updated: 2006-02-11
Packaged: 2017-12-09 03:36:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/769519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keolah/pseuds/Serriya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sedder faces an alternate timeline duplicate of himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Conversations in Karzan

Anderos's meal had hardly arrived before Sedder appeared in the doorway and approaches their table, rubbing his hands together and grinning. "Well, that went well! Quite the friendly and helpful sort, these folks."

Dolen rose and offered a formal bow in greeting. "It is well to hear, Lord Sedder. I would be glad to listen to the tale while Anderos indulges in a victor's banquet." He grinned lightly aside at the other Eldar, then smoothed his expression once again. "There is news to be had upon this end as well, but it shall await your pleasure and convenience." With that, he settled once more in his seat and settles as comfortably as possible in his armor.

Sedder ordered some food for himself and took a seat across from them. "They have agreed to provide any and all assistance possible against the current threat to the galaxy. And they gave me the transponder codes and coordinates to their other secret bases, too."

"Most excellent news!" Dolen replied with sincere enthusiasm, the success far better than he had dared hope for. "I suppose that does not include, however," he continued with a quirked grin, "A division of Wraithguard and Wraithlords to support us. That would be far, far more than I could dream of," he trailed off with a hint of melancholy wistfulness.

"I do not know what Wraithguard and Wraithlords are offhand, but they say that they will send their best psychics," Sedder said.

"Nonetheless another step forward to the ultimate goal." His expression sobered as he paused, pitching his voice low, "Which I fear may be all too great of import in light of recent events."

In a flowing, melodious near-singsong, he recounted the encounter with Emily and his confirmed suspicion regarding the gods of this place, breaking the tale at last with a sober note.

"It bodes ill for this endeavor, and speaks of a need for great haste lest Chaos claim this Empire once more," Dolen finished.

Sedder listened with interest as he described the meeting with Emily, frowning a bit. "No, this is not good at all. She speaks truly about what was averted, and I know what was done to her in an attempt to protect the universe against further similar events, but I do not believe she was entirely the best choice. Even though she was the only choice given the unusual circumstances of the Time-Change. Is she lying, insane, deluded, does she genuinely believe that nonsense she spouts?" Sedder shook his head slowly. "Hopefully she will remain gone for a time, at least..."

"For the greater part, I am inclined to believe she spoke truth," Dolen replied, his voice thoughtful. "Though I will readily admit to predisposition toward distrust on a grand scale, inspired by the conditions from whence I came, that self-same thinking came wholly to its own theory with nothing save vague hints of trends in long distant events in this place. That she confirmed their identities only serves to strengthen it, in light of he means of disappearance, for even the madness of Chaos will speak the truth when it believes it has nothing to lose by doing so." He broke off, considering several factors. "Even her drivel concerning emotion and the Gods makes a twisted sense, were she to follow the path of the Devourer, the great Defiler." That name he would never speak.

"Oh?" Sedder said, thanking the one delivering his food briefly and leaning back to take a drink from his glass.

Anderos shifted uncomfortably at the conversation and picked at his food absently.

"Indeed." Dolen replied briefly, gathering his reasoning. "One aspect of that foul being is lust, an unholy consummation and defilement of it and taken to an extreme, but nonetheless. What purer emotion is often connected and intertwined with that? Love. Corrupting something of great value and purity would be the height of enjoyment for that One, and it could easily be integrated into this blackened religion. Is it truly any wonder then that the humans of this Empire would flock to its banner? For all the initiate would know, they did indeed espouse many grand virtues, but slowly over time each of them would be perverted. Love to lust. Defense to blind rage and hate. The possibilities are truly only as limited as their perverse agendas and the gullibility of the masses."

Sedder picked at his own food. "That's one reason I got rid of my Pyroluminescence shirt so quickly once I got back to civilization. I'd learned that the four of them had run back to Chaos again after the Time-Change and it was them who were in control of the city of Torn Elkandu. I must say I'm disappointed in them. I'd thought better of them, especially Sheniro... He'd never really seemed like a bad person, to me..."

"Chaos does indeed hide itself well," Dolen returned. "It is seductive in so many ways, so easy to slip into the well of self-indulgence despite what your vice might be. The lines were much cleaner and well defined elsewhere, here..." He shrugged helplessly. "Mutation and magic were always the most common signs of corruption, yet magic in this place does not necessarily lead to their embrace. Considerably more problematical."

The matter could be resolved, a part of him rebelled, were they to see the end of any and all who used magic, regardless of their intent. He recognized that voice, though, and long practice silences the calling of Hate and Destruction.

"Pyroluminescence," Sedder mused, leaning back in his chair. "Probably the most popular of all the Elkandu, the greatest band that ever lived some called them. Sheniro, Karn, Zelen, and Elgar are their names..."

Sedder lifted a hand, creating a tiny hologram on the table, showing the band. Their singer was an elf with long pink hair, and their drummer a red-haired dwarf with a bloody axe on his back, their pianist is a bony human, and their guitarist a drow shooting lightning from his fingertips. Dolen leaned forward to examine the image, studying each of them in turn, then raised a brow in delicate disbelief as he looked to Sedder.

"Surely you jest? This group gathered together in plain sight and drew nothing save adulation from the masses. That is simply..." he shook his head, leaning back, "Astonishing. Though in fairness I suppose that their seemings would be much less obvious with Chaos only recently descending to this place."

"They randomly sprang into existence shortly following the Planar Wars," Sedder said, making the image vanish. "And for more than a hundred and fifty years have been gaining more and more control over Torn Elkandu... Sheniro, their singer, is a far more powerful Speaker than he lets on, and most people upon hearing them immediately stop what they're doing and stand around listening. And the few who manage to compose themselves enough to oppose them end up getting cut down by Karn."

"So Chaos has taken new names in this place..." Dolen murmured, "I would not have wished to have been present at one of their performances, to be sure, for I have faced countless of their manifestations upon the field of battle and only the powers of the Seers and Farseer stood against the unholy energies. Which does not go to say," he added the last with a faint, grim grin, "that the sword and rifle were not of use as well. Bloody times, bloody times indeed," he finished pensively, almost wishing he'd ordered something to drink that he might mull over. There would be much rehashing of those scenes in days and nights to come, he was dreadfully certain.

"Anywhere that Pyroluminescence performed, fell to Chaos within days, with little to no resistance. That's why I didn't want to take us through Torn Elkandu. _They_ are there, ensnaring the unwary into their music." Sedder sighed. "And the Planar Wars? They can only claim to have sprung into existence from raw Chaos... And yet, nobody saw it coming! The Planar Wars were bad times indeed... I would like to think that things could not get any worse than they were during those times. And grateful I am to have missed them... Bad enough to have heard all that happened during that period, and wonder that the universe ever managed to recover from it."

"Poets and philosophers," Dolen responded with edged humor, "Have often described my home as a galaxy at war. For forty thousand years have we fought upon one field or another, against each other or against more ruinous and heinous foes, yet somehow it all continues onward. When all hope is lost, tis only then that you may realize that there is no end, only new beginnings."

He considered that for a moment, a chill passing down his spine.

"I would never know a world of peace or tranquility were I to find it," Dolen continued, "Nor would I have a place in it were it to come to pass. This war in this place may yet be won, regardless of the gains already made by Chaos, else I believe fate would have sent me elsewhere." He smiled quietly. "Hubris? Perhaps. But though I shall never have my brothers sing my soulstone to its rest, I believe there is a purpose here."

Defeat could never be a purpose, only an ending, and though it might change this place irrevocably for a time, the world which evolved would doubtless end the stronger for it.

"The Planar Wars was not simply just a war," Sedder commented darkly, staring at his now empty plate. "The four factions of the Elkandu could never have caused that widespread of destruction on their own. It was the Wheel of Chaos that all but destroyed the universe, pulling it into an ever changing graveyard of horrors from which few escaped alive and sane..."

"Do not be so downcast, Lord Sedder," Dolen chided gently, then added with a spark of humor, "You begin to sound as morose as an old Eldar fool of my personal acquaintance." The humor slipped from him as though silver water, and he went on, "There is darkness ahead, of that there is no doubt since it already stalks these worlds, but where titans walk..." Titans indeed, he mused, remembering times and tales when gods walked his own land. "Titans shall fall," he finished softly. "The spirit of the living and their determination to live is far greater than that of Chaos to destroy, so long as there are those willing to encourage it and cause it to grow, to give it form and purpose, to set it in motion."

He gestured idly at the sleek walls of the station as silent evidence, though Sedder would likely not gather the importance of that comparison.

"And so they will." Sedder sighed. He leaned back pensively, staring off at nothing in particular for several long minutes.

Anderos declined to make a comment upon the situation.

Sedder finally said, "There's something not quite right here, though..." He frowned for a moment, attempting to identify it. "No, it can't be..."


	2. Evil Twin

Dolen was content to allow the moment of silence, each to their own thoughts, but stirred himself as Sedder spoke again. "Only one thing is amiss," he asked lightly, "And I had nearly come to despair carrying the list which I had begun to develop." Dropping all semblance of levity, he gently prodded, "What do you feel to be out of place?"

"... There is another me in this galaxy," Sedder said, frowning deeply. "That should not be possible... It had to have happened during the Time-Change when the different timelines were merged... He's with the Chaos fleet..."

Dolen closed his eyes, mind spinning and dodging about the twisted logic of what Chaos had, was, and might do, the evolving likely chain of events proving more than a bit disquieting. "Lord Sedder," he responded, "They may well seek to place you, or at least your duplicate upon the Empire's throne. It would follow logically from all that they have done to this point."

He falls silent for a long moment, tracing the thought a few steps further.

"Yes," he continued, eyes opening to look across at Sedder, "You have influence enough in your home that those of your people remaining would certainly follow without question. As for the Empire... Hmm, placing one of human and elf decent in such a position might well appeal to both factions there as well, or at least be seen as the lesser evil to a civil war. It would procure the time to continue their corruption of both places. Not only that, but have this other you suspend the exile of the Death Dancers? It would gain them a powerful ally in that regard as well as support from other factions. I think that matters may indeed be even more pressing than we had feared."

Sedder frowned deeply. "That is insane... I would never agree to such a thing... but who knows what this other me might do... If nothing else, it does not appear that he has the same knowledge of what the future would have been that I have. I had opposed them from the start, and because of that he was distrusted at first as he just appeared from thin air during the Time-Change... They did not know what to make of him... He's on the main ship of some group called the 'Night Lords' apparently..."

"Word Bearers, Night Lords," Dolen muttered, "Matters seem to get better and better each time I pause to remove my helm." He took a deep breath and expelled it, then turned a suddenly very thoughtful gaze upon Sedder. "Despite what they may plan, it would do us well to make haste and make certain that they fail. Setting their false god upon the throne would be disastrous in the extreme." His own logic haunted him for long moments more.

"There's only room for one Sedder in this universe," he muttered darkly. "I must deal with myself myself. I know what he's capable of, and I have a few new tricks up my sleeve I doubt he has thought of yet."

"Tracking them hither and yon shall serve us little purpose," Dolen proposed, "We know ultimately where they must needs end, and that would be the seat of the Empire itself. Speeding there would be our wisest course, I believe, that you may confront your other self." Preferably in very public display and view, he thought privately, the logic coalescing into a slightly more viable plan element by element.

"They are, in fact, already there," Sedder said, storming to his feet and heading for the door.

Anderos, a bit puzzled, climbed to his feet as well and moved to follow Sedder out of the room. "Are we leaving now, then?" Anderos asked.

Sedder said, "No, we're leaving yesterday."

Dolen rose swiftly and follows with typical fleetness of foot, his helmet returning to its proper place on the run. That the enemy was already there was not in their favor, but Chaos just might not expect opposition to appear from such an unlikely vector and at the worst possible moment. He could feel his blood rising, and he began to hum a gentle, mournful tune as he caught up with Sedder.

The people in the corridors were strangely motionless as they return to the docking bay. The motionless denizens of this place did not surprise Dolen in the least, not with all that he has seen in recent times and what he has begun to suspect Sedder was capable of. Dolen' tread was light and energetic as they made their way to the landing bay and settled into the ship, the faint dirge-like tune seeming somehow out of place in comparison to his seemingly fey approach to the coming events.

Sedder was barely inside the ship before he started telling Theodore to fly them out of there and set in a course for the planet Toronto. They took their seats and took off. Were someone to ask, Dolen would reply with a quiet, enigmatic smile that the song was part of the Path. Each of Iyanden's living ghosts had one that was unique to them, one which continuously evolved and spoke of love and loss, pain and remembrance, all the things which reminded them of home and the reasons for which they fought.

Sedder didn't even bother to tell Theodore to get the cloak up. Weaving through the asteroids was very easy when the asteroids are completely and utterly still. Then once they were clear of the rocks, Theodore opened another wormhole and headed directly into the heart of Imperial space, and they entered into it.

Sedder didn't bother sitting down, pacing the cockpit nervously, fingering a small shiny stone in his hand absently as he did so. "I know what I have to do... I have the advantage... He does not appear to have trained in Chronomancy..."

Dolen watched Sedder with the faintly indulgent bemusement common to any veteran soldier faced with one suffering from pre-combat stress. He interrupted his melancholy meditation at length and spoke with imperturbable calm, "Remember for what you fight, Lord Sedder, and it will give you strength. Beyond confidence, beyond bravado, beyond experience, there is the greatest inner strength of all. Know your ghosts, embrace them as surely as they would you in life, and you will feel the power of their emotion flow through your veins, mingling with your own."

Sedder sighed, staring at the ground, clenching the stone tightly in his palm. "I will do what I must." The ship emerged from hyperspace over the planet of Toronto. The time bubble was still in effect around them, and the massive fleet seemed motionless in orbit of the planet. "So many of them..."

"You need only focus your attention upon one of them," Dolen quietly reassured, "I suspect that there may yet be more waiting to see the outcome of events before deciding upon which side they fall. In the end, it will sort itself out I am certain."

Not that it would do it immediately of its own accord, he knew, but with a hand to guide that vengeance at the Chaos spawn? Oh, very possible indeed.

The time bubble only lasted long enough for Theodore to guide the ship to the surface of the planet, and people were already starting to move in slow motion as they do so. The mirror Sedder, wearing a stylish blue-lined black robe and a goatee, because he could, appeared to be unaffected by the temporal distortion, however.

"Ah, this is the imposter who has made my life so difficult of late!" said Evil Sedder.

Dolen was calm and prepared as they land, stepping out of the ship several steps in front of Sedder this time, not willing to risk a stray sniper's shot when matters may be coming to a critical point. He stopped as the twin made its presence known, foregoing the rifle in favor of the sword which was also new, perhaps for dramatic flair or, more likely, at the prospect of needing a non-draining source of destruction.

He snapped smartly to attention to one side of Sedder, the blade snicking neatly into place at his shoulder, but made no other move and spoke not at all. The stage was set, the audience was waking from its slumber, and now the auxiliary decoration was in place.

Sedder addressed Dolen, Anderos, and Theodore, "I'll deal with my double. Cover me." He then leapt into the air, hovering in midair and glowing golden wings bursting from his back as he began to radiate with light. The other Sedder grinned momentarily and likewise transformed, into a black shadow demon.

Dolen grinned wildly beneath his helm as the two chose their forms. He could not have wished for a better symbolic display of both sides in the coming fight. His attention wavered for only the briefest moment, however, as he drew the pistol with his other hand and stood to, ready to do precisely as ordered. This was not his home, nor was Sedder his commander, but some commitments spanned farther than others.

As the effects of the time distortion faded, Chaos Marines were starting to realize something was going on and that they should probably be attempting to shoot at something, and the funky glowing angel-thing and the Eldar were as good a target as any. A battle of light and darkness commenced in the sky above them, however, as the Sedders faced off. Magic filled the air as each flung spell after spell at one another.

Dolen might wish once more for reinforcements, but the thought did not cross his mind at all as the forces of Chaos began to move once more, there was no time. Eldar were, by nature, agile and quick, and nothing proved that better than the headlong sprint which brought him within range of those who dared fire at Sedder above. Those firing at he and Anderos would continue to do so regardless, pistol and sword would make certain the others did the same. Or died in the trying.

Anderos likewise whipped out his own blaster and proceeds to fire back. Although he was more a diplomat than a soldier, he seemed to know his way around a gun as well as anyone. Several enemy shots dented the Darknova slightly, though, but failed to actually hit them.

Grace and beauty in all things, that was the essence and soul of the Eldar, and it carried itself well into the art of war as well. They did not have the massive counter-tempo of Wraithlords trodding the ground, nor a cacophony of jet bikes screaming past with flashing Bright Lances, but that changed nothing whatsoever to Dolen' tempo. Blade and gun flash repeatedly, parry and thrust, dodge and weave, all to a distant mournful tune.

No comrades to wade with him, which worked to his favor for the moment, the gathering of marines getting in each other's way more often than not as he ducked beneath the swing of a power fist and laid open the armor in its bearer's side, or leapt above the arc of a tracking rifle, its rounds tracing his route and doing more damage to their own troop. Yet others tried to back away and resume their aid for their charge, to no avail.

He did not need to win this day, only to delay those below which might seek to stop Sedder or distract him from his battle. Were his soul to be lost in the battle, then he might go to Slaanesh's grasp in peace, his self-proclaimed purpose and debt paid.

The Sedders circled one another, seeming to be in a momentary stalemate as each counter's the other's magic smoothly. But it was, in fact, only a ruse as Angel Sedder waited for his opening. And then... He held up the stone. There were flashes of blue light. Everything seemed to slow down for several minutes as something... happened. Blue light and lightning crackled in the air.

And then there was a massive flash of brilliant light, and he knew only white nothingness.

* * *

An indeterminate amount of time later, the four of them found themselves somehow back on board Theodore's Darknova, sitting in hyperspace, Sedder laying on his back on the cockpit floor in his half-elf form again, unconscious. Theodore was definitely thankfully out cold as well, and Anderos was slowly waking.

Dolen pushed himself halfway up, blearily looking around and trying to make sense of what happened. The last thing he remembered was looking into the very large barrel of a fusion cannon, and then...

"Lord Sedder?" he called out, seeing the man nearby, then crawled over to the unconscious form when he didn't stir. "Sedder?" He gently shook the other's shoulders.

Sedder groans softly as he felt Dolen shaking him, blinking slowly and putting his hands to his head. "Ugh, shoot me now," he moaned, clenching his eyes shut again.

Dolen exhaled the breath he'd been holding and chuckled lightly. "You seem not to be destined for that fate so soon, Lord Sedder." He took inventory of his own aches and strains, grimacing as he noticed the prints marked in gore that he left on Sedder's clothing at the touch. "We are alive and, seemingly well for the moment, though one needs must wonder..." He stood, looking for some sign of just what happened.

Sedder grimaced, opening eyes his eyes again to looked up at Dolen. "You don't understand... No... This wasn't supposed to happen this way..." He closed his eyes again, shuddering a bit. "Cannot... must not..." He continued to babble deliriously.

Anderos stood up and looked down at him, and said, "What's wrong with him?"

Wariness and concern dispelled any trace of gallows humor at the incoherence of the half-elf's speech. Dolen removed his helm and tossed it aside, kneeling beside Sedder and reaching to lift the man to a sitting position.

"What is it?" Dolen pressed. "What should not have happened this way?"

Unease curled its chill fingers along his spine, never an uncommon thing when recently engaged against Chaos. The worst was to be expected more often than the best.

"There ... is a ... way..." Sedder slurred. "Find... Aviel." Then in a flash of blue light, Sedder went completely motionless, frozen in time in a form of self-imposed stasis.

Anderos frowned deeply, and muttered, "What the..."

"Aviel?" Dolen asked in confusion, to no one at all as Sedder stepped outside the normal stream of time. He rose slowly, stepping away from the mage in reflex, and looked aside to Anderos. "I have no idea, but..." His expression shifted from confusion to grim, and he edged around the pilot's chair to roughly shake Theodore. "Awaken, wastrel! The Laughing God is truly cruel at times, for I find myself needing information that you may possess."

Theodore woke up and made an inappropriate comment which he probably thinks is witty but was really slap-worthy. Dolen was in no mood for levity, nor disinclined to oblige the fool's self-apparent destructive tendencies, and he struck the man backhand twice.

"There is no time for your games, jester," he grated, "Lord Sedder is in need of aid, and should you prove incapable or unwilling, then you shall be considered his enemy and treated accordingly, do I make myself absolutely clear?" 

"Okay, okay," Theodore said, rubbing his face. "You needn't have done that. What do you need me for?"

Anderos stood back, looking over the frozen form of Sedder in concern, then glancing over toward Theodore.

Releasing his hard grip on the buffoon's arm, Dolen indicated the frozen form of Sedder. "Moments before he slipped into this state he spoke in babble, crying against something which was not supposed to happen, and then revealed a name that he thought might assist him in some way. Aviel, was that name, what do you know of it, or who might be persuaded to part with such information?"

"Aviel?" Theodore said. "Oh, yeah, she was that weird winged woman who was on the Eyes a while ago... What about her?"

"Do you perhaps," Dolen bit out with considerable restraint, "have anything more useful than identifying the name? Did any information come into your possession as to where she may have gone or what she was planning on doing? Even an idea of where to go or who to speak to in order to find such information?"

He was not ecstatic regarding this turn of events, the sudden change of focus from broad to narrow was unsettling. That Chaos was still in motion was undoubted, that he could do anything regarding it without the powers of someone akin to Sedder? Highly improbable, and thus his return must be paramount.

"Where she went?" Theodore said. "I don't know. Maybe she went off to find Asura and Kalli. I haven't seen her in some time. Not since she was up on the bridge of the Eyes chatting with that one fellow, what was his name, Magnus the Red? Something like that..."

Dolen expelled a sigh, forcing a measure of control and discipline to return with a conscious effort. "Then determine where we are," he spoke levelly, deliberately calm and polite, "And a least-time course to return us to the Eyes of Truth that we may speak with this person."

The other names mentioned were likely to be of little use, lest they were to mysteriously appear at their destination. One step at a time.

"I don't know where we are... Somewhere in the Ethereal Plane, but we're not in a wormhole... This thing isn't designed to work like that... where's Tarna when you need her..."

There was a bit of a shimmer in the air in the back of the cockpit, and a woman wearing a black leather Death Dancer ninja suit with a pink katana at her side appeared. "Oh, there you are, hey."

"I care naught what must be done," Dolen replied sternly. "Do whatever you must to ascertain that course and pursue it with all speed," he paused and considered the nature of pilots as a whole, and continued, "I am also under no illusion that you would find it against your nature to bypass safe procedure to make all haste in the doing, and I am inclined to indulge that tendency at the moment."

He might regret that later, but that was for another time, now all that he could do was wait and see to small things while those familiar with this place do what they must.

"I shall return to the cargo hold for now," Dolen said. "Seek me out as soon as our status changes."

The world and its oddities were proving less startling to him as time passed, the appearance of the woman eliciting only a greeting nod as he stepped away from the pilot.

The woman blinked in confusion and said, "Wait, what's going on? Where are we going? I only just finally found you guys..." She went over to Theodore, gave him a hug and a kiss, and took the co-pilot's seat.

Dolen looked at the woman, taking in the greeting with an inward shudder of horror at the familiarity with the madman it displayed, and replied simply, "Chaos walks, Lord Sedder has been stricken and requires aid which only one named Aviel may provide, and I..." He looked down at the streaked gore and scarring which mar the elegant lines of his armor, and says, "I am going to attend to the one thing which makes any sense here. Find what I need, pilot," he said in parting, and glided out with not another word.


	3. Dream Ninja

After some time, Anderos went to the back of the ship to see Dolen.

Dolen looked up as the other Eldar entered, already in the process of re-donning his armor. The damage had been thankfully minimal, and his own skills at coaxing the wraithbone of which is was constructed were sufficient to the task.

"A new development?" he asked simply, sliding the gauntlets back into place and curling his fingers to test their fit and fitness. 

One had nearly been seared through in his unorthodox distraction of the marines, but the wraithbone had regrown to replace the gentle lines with little complaint.

"It appears that they believe that they know wherein this Aviel may be found," Anderos said. "We are presently en route to a universe called 'Star Wars'. We should arrive there in two weeks, so they say."

Anderos glanced back toward the door to the cockpit uneasily, brushing himself off and shrugging a bit.

"Excellent," Dolen replied absently.

Thoughts of what may transpire in the many weeks it would require to return to the Karzan Empire taunted him. Chaos was not likely to rest in their pursuit of their prey, and the events which passed in the meantime might well turn any hope to ash in such a short span. He shook the melancholy musing off, not having missed the unease in Anderos but preoccupied till now.

"What troubles you, Anderos?" he asked simply. He could make wild guesses and assumptions, but there were advantages to dealing with another of the Eldar, foremost among them being a shared appreciation and understanding of the forms of interaction.

"That Tarna woman. I do not know why she is helping us," Anderos said, lowering his voice somewhat and stepping away from the door and further into the room. "Was she not the one who Sedder had said had escaped?"

"Yes, she was," Dolen responded quietly, understanding the other's unease all too well. "We do not have a multitude of options at this point, however, thus shall we be forced to rely on the unpredictable and unreliable until the situations change." He sighed. "I am no more fond of the idea than you, believe me, but I honestly see no other path to follow. Be wary and ready for any betrayal, though, we are desperate, not fools."

Anderos sighed softly. "This will be a long voyage, I believe," he mumbled. He went back to get some rest as the ship flew on.

"Indeed," Dolen answered with amusement, leaving the other to his rest and moving forward to observe the actions of the other two. Blind trust was not something that grew well in the tainted soil of his own home, the rivers of blood and bitter salt of tears poisoning that ground beyond hope of reclamation. He offered a quiet greeting to the two and settled to wait in as unobtrusive a spot as possible.

Tarna was curled up in the pilot's seat with her legs crossed, her hands outstretched and glowing slightly, appearing in a deep concentration. Theodore was eating popcorn and watching inane cartoons.

Were it not for the knowledge that they already were aware of where next they needed to go, Dolen would likely have rampaged over the seemingly oblivious and lazing pilot. The impulse passed quickly, though not any hint of the distaste associated with the fool, but he did take some pleasure in interrupting his viewing, "We are underway, or soon to be, I presume?"

"Yep," Theodore said over a mouthful of popcorn, bits of it falling out of his mouth, "Tarna's getting us on track with her spiffy Dream Magic. Popcorn?" He offered Dolen the bowl of buttery white stuff.

Dolen glanced at the bowl as though it were some lethal serpent reaching out to strike him, then proceeded to ignore it completely in preference for observing the woman working at the console.

"Very good," he replied shortly, having little inclination to pry into the matter further, at least so long as progress was indeed made in short order. Were it not, then the influence of Chaos would need be assumed, with obvious and violent repercussions.

After a few minutes, a tunnel formed around the ship like the proper wormholes that it tended to create, and Tarna returned her attention to reality.

"Okay, there we go," she said. "I got the wormhole up again so I don't have to get out and push at least." She glanced back and noticed Dolen. "Oh, hello there. I am Tarna Tanson, Dream Ninja, Raven Demon, Death Dancer. How do you do?"

Dolen's attention shifted immediately to the screens as instruments began to chatter their success with the mindless excitement of any happy computer. The woman's return to reality did not immediately register until she moved, and his hand dropped casually to the butt of his pistol as he listened to her greeting. He tilted his head fractionally in acknowledgement, eyes never wavering in their suspicion.

"It is well that you arrived in such a timely manner to aid us," Dolen responded with the faintest hint of suspicious sarcasm. "Particularly seeing as you had vanished from the Eyes of Truth entire while the Chaos infestation was contained."

Tarna stretched luxuriously. "I came where I was needed, where Tzeentch directed me to be," Tarna said brightly. "I don't think I would have managed to find you otherwise. You were quite in the middle of nowhere."

Dolen's eyes narrowed at the mention of one of the names which were not to be spoken, his expression hard and unyielding. "Do not speak of the Foul Ones in my presence, Chaos spawn," he replied with deceptive calm. "Your kind have plagued mine far too long, and it would not distress me greatly to see another of their number returned to your vile master's embrace." 

That might yet come, but the tool would not be broken until such a time as he was absolutely certain that its usefulness was ended.

"Geez, what does everyone have against them, anyway? It's better than working for Jami, at any rate," Tarna shuddered a bit. "Not that Jami has really done anything of late but sit around in his basement and stay out of everyone's way, which is probably fortunate all things considered, but he isn't the third worst person in the universe to impersonate for no reason."

Dolen allowed a bitter laugh to escape him, mocking her question. "Why does the universe hate them, you ask? Have you seen what the Foul Gods have done in pursuit of their unholy appetites? I have. Entire worlds have needed cleansing in the wake of their taint, no other option save extinction as they warp and destroy anything within their path. Yet you would have me believe them to be acceptable as a lesser of evils?" He shook his head, "No, there can be no acceptance of evil in any of its forms, spawn. That it is evil is sufficient enough to be eradicated for the greater good of all worlds."

"Clearly you haven't met Jami," Tarna said wryly. "Most Elkandu tend to count only Rhuan and Sardill as being worse than him." She chuckled softly. "But it's not like I exactly decided to follow either of them by choice."

"You dance about the heart of the matter," Dolen replied scornfully, "And I would expect no less of a pawn of those ruinous powers. It matters not that there may be greater evils, that they are a bane of life itself is sufficient cause to deny them any acceptance. You would, I presume, find the devastation which lay in the wake of their arrival upon Sedder's world wholly within reasonable limits. I do not, and never shall."

Tarna shrugged a bit and said, "Suit yourself." She reached over and grabbed some popcorn to munch on.

While she did so, a translucent guy wearing equally translucent clothing vaguely reminiscent of the Renaissance on Terra appeared in front of Dolen. "Greetings!" he said. "I am Duke Rudolf von Milvenhauer, of the world of Wegana. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

"Does no one think to knock?" Dolen asked with facetious exasperation, this place seeming determined to armor him against surprise by inundating his existence with the bizarre. At least it gave him reason to turn away from the subject of Tarna, a most thorny issue indeed. "And to what do we owe the pleasure of this unexpected arrival, Duke Rudolf von Milvenhauer?"

"What? Oh, but I was already here!" He pointed vaguely at the sword Tarna was carrying. "I must say, it's definitely amusing to be seeing more action while I'm dead than I ever did while I was alive! Tut tut..."

Tarna sniggered a bit and ate popcorn.

Any sign of tolerant cordiality vanished at the revelation, Dolen' eyes narrowing as he looked past the new arrival to the woman at the console. "I see. Yet another of the bountiful gifts of the Foul Ones of which you were speaking, I presume?" He shook his head and looked away. "I've no issue with the dead, as we use them as our defenders, but the stench of magic grows wearisome."

"What? I have nothing to do with them!" Rudolf said, looking a little insulted. "I have been dead for hundreds of years. For I had angered a powerful sorcerer so that when he slew me, he bound my soul unto that blade Tarna carries there, so that I may not know rebirth!"

Dolen sighed quietly and allowed the specter to regain his attention. "Regardless, I fear that my opinion is quite influenced by your affiliation with that Chaos spawned abomination. To be in the service of Chaos unwillingly is perhaps the greatest horror of all, one which my own people are sure to rectify should our own ancestral protectors fall in battle against them."

"Tarna is a fine woman and a brave warrior," Rudolf said. "She would never do such as you describe! But regardless of mine own opinions, I could do little even if I so wished to fight against her..."

"There is no gift without price," Dolen retorted. "The Foul Ones may well allow some glimmer of a humane nature to exist for a time, but know that their path leads farther and deeper in the depths of the abyss. One day soon, if not already, you will find yourself beholden to a monster. Does that please you, spirit? If not, do you think your master or her vile brethren care in the least?"

"And what do you expect me to do? Pop up in front of her and say 'Boo'?" Rudolf sighed, shook his head, and faded from sight.

Tarna just looked at Dolen quietly. Theodore finished up with the popcorn.

Dolen offered an edged smile to Tarna's quiet appraisal. "Does that worry you? It should. You may think yourself the master, or at the least a servant with free will, but there is no such thing when dealing with the Foul Gods. You shall find that soon enough, as countless other doomed and twisted souls have found over the ages. Perhaps we shall even meet across a field of battle someday, and I shall not recognize your form at all."

"They would have killed me otherwise," Tarna murmured. "Or worse. I didn't choose to be a demon, either, but after being imprisoned in the Abyss, there wasn't any other way to escape... The demons would have held me there as a sex slave until they got bored of me. I wasn't willing to accept that. Don't think I was mad or power-hungry like certain others were..."

"Then in that, you have my pity," Dolen said with sincerity. "Your tale, though perhaps more extreme, is no different from the fate of millions who have fallen to their foul hungers. It may seem harmless at first, the first mutating 'blessing' may even be useful, but Chaos does not play well with its toys. We Eldar have gone to great lengths since the Fall to assure that we do not so end as prey." He touched the stone at his breast. "We know the damnation waiting for us in the Warp, the horror of the Devourer thirsting for our souls. I warn you not to speak so glibly the name of the foul ones, lest you draw their eye and their favor."

Tarna looked at him oddly and said, "I already told you. I'm a raven demon. Do you know what this means, to the Elkandu?" She closed her eyes for a moment, and transformed into a black demon with a barbed tail, razor-sharp claws, horns, and clawed wings. She opened her eyes again and looked at him. "And that was two years ago!"

Dolen was kneeling in an instant, the pistol he'd idly toyed with appearing in his hand and pointing steadily at the aberration. "Then you know of which I speak," he bit out, restraining the impulse to attack by only the thinnest thread. "Yet would have me believe that their caress is harmless? Deceit of self and others is second nature to those forces, but I know the truth of their lies and shall not bow to them. Ever."

Tarna looked at him quietly for a moment, and concentrated, turning back into a human with clearly more effort than it took to turn into a demon. "Did I ever claim anything was harmless?" Tarna sighed softly. "I would not be so foolish."

Dolen did not fail to note the difficulty in returning to a normal form, watching unmoving until it was complete and only then slowly rising and returning the weapon to its holster. "You have my pity," he reiterated, "But you have nothing more than that. Better to be destroyed or tormented for eternity than to succumb to their vile blandishments. At least in that, there is the possibility of holding onto yourself, and honor."

"Ascended Elkandu have a natural form to which they can shift with only the slightest effort, on a moment's notice," Tarna explained slowly. "Angels, demons, and a few other types that are much more rare. But that's neither here nor there -- It's been so long before Chaos came to our worlds." Tarna looked off at nothing. "You underestimate, however, the resourcefulness of the Elkandu. There are ways..."

"If they may truly destroy the Chaos Gods," Dolen replied with little evidence of belief, "Then shall I grant that there may be ways." He fell to silence for a few moments, perhaps drawn to some compassion by the sense of regret in the woman. "There is evidence that even Gods may die, as did the greater number of those which my people followed, devoured by the greatest among the Chaos Lords. Take what hope you may out of that, if it is your desire. Seek to retain your grasp upon what remains of yourself and outlive them, if indeed that may come to pass. I do not know, for such workings are far beyond the ken of a simple soldier."

"The Elkandu have destroyed the universe, and rebuilt it again. They've changed time itself. They can create life out of nothing, and restore life to the dead. _One_ Elkandu cursed me on a whim for knocking over his beer, to constantly attract trouble and to be instantly healed and teleported to another world upon death. When it was finally broken, I had died countless times..."

Dolen settled wearily back into a chair with a sigh. "Then perhaps they may yet destroy the Chaos Gods, though one must wonder when even this place's gods of life and death are supplanted by the Fiends. Did they remake the Chaos Gods in their working of the universe, or did they simply recreate the same physical existence while greater powers lurked and waited in the Warp beyond?"

"Gods of life and death?" Tarna wondered in confusion. "Oh, the Karzan gods. The Elkandu gods are fucked up, I tell you. But the only one anyone hears much about anymore is Shazmar, and he's a nut. Always dropping dildos and giggling at people randomly. Strange chappy."

"There is reason to doubt their omnipotence," Dolen mused thoughtfully, remembering his conversation with the doubtless insane Emily. "I have heard it said that a number of these Elkandu's greatest power bound their powers together to work the remaking of existence, but the best which they could accomplish in the case of the Foul Gods was to bind them from setting it all to destruction once more."

Mortality was a little considered topic among the Eldar, their long lives ending most often in a most violent fashion, but pondering the mortality of Gods? A most interesting avenue of thought.

"Who then, are the true Gods?" Dolen mused. "Are there, in fact, any such 'true' Gods, or is existence merely varying degrees of the mortal coil?"

"That's one topic the Elkandu have been pondering for some time, especially as many of the more powerful Elkandu would easily be called gods by some. Such as Sardill," Tarna muttered bitterly. "I don't even _know_ what the limits of his power are... He tends to do what most people would consider impossible with just a wave of his hand..."

"To the primitives of a lost world," he replied distantly, memory surfacing, "Faced with fires from the skies and strange beings clad in impenetrable garb, they look upon those newly arrived as Gods." He returned from the distance, smiling sadly. "I remember such a world once, long ago, one of the lost colonies of the Mon'Keigh, forgotten in time and rediscovered only by chance. The experience was quite unforgettable."

His expression hardened, the remainder of the memory surfacing.

"But the Gods are not always beneficent, as those descendants of our long-time foes found at the end of star cannon and bright lance, their numbers decimated in an orgy of destruction, gluttony in the name of 'survival'."

The last was nearly spat out, orders given and obeyed tarnishing the spirit from the distant past. He raised a hand, sweeping it aside in a gesture of dismissal.

"More to the point," he continued, "The gods are rarely infallible or truly as omnipotent as lesser beings may think, and even the more powerful my be splintered and their essence devoured as was the Avatar of my people. Perhaps such shall arise here."

Tarna listened absently, staring off at the floor but not really seeing it, paying more attention to what he was saying than in the pattern of the floor panels. "Legend has it that there were other gods... I don't know what happened to them, though. They might still be around, waiting, or sleeping... Avatar?" she wondered, hoping for details.

"Yes, the Avatar of Khaine the Bloody-handed," Dolen replied grimly, "We Eldar yet use the ritual to summon him forth in times of direst need, surrendering the life of one of our own that a nigh unstoppable engine of destruction might awaken and stride before us into battle. More than one incursion of Chaos has been staved off by that might behemoth, a jagged swath cut through their hearts by his burning blade. It is said that long ago, before the Fall, Khaine guided and watched over us, and when the Devourer and the other Chaos Gods spilled forth as a plague he stood against them. Countless tales are spun of the battle which ensued, though I am quite certain that none who might have witnessed it survived. In the end, Khaine was overcome, splintered into shards which each Craftworld carried with them that he might walk once more."


	4. Shadow of Doubt

When they arrived at their destination, Theodore put the cloaking device up so that no natives would freak out wondering who the hell they were. Anderos gave the transponder code for the Shadow of Doubt, a Karzan stealth cruiser with a hull laced with coronite making it nearly undetectable, and they approached it to come in and dock.

Dolen had spent the intervening weeks fulfilling an unspoken agreement with Anderos, one watching Tarna and Theo for signs of danger while the other rested, then switching the duty back and forth, neither particularly inclined to trust the gentler nature of an admitted follower of Tzeentch too far. Dolen made certain that he was active at the time they are due to arrive, however, and he studies the instruments and screens thoughtfully.

"What does your master wish us to see here, hmm?" he inquired of Tarna, "I somehow doubt that he has the best interests of Lord Sedder at heart, though to see that one play a game of power against one of his rivals would not be unheard or thought of." He shook his head and sighed. "No matter, we shall see soon enough."

Once they had docked, they were met in the docking bay by a woman with black feathered wings and unnatural silvery skin, wearing mage robes. She looked over at them as they climbed out of the ship and said, "So you have come, as I knew you would." She gave a long, strange look to Tarna as well.

Dolen nodded in brief acknowledgement of the greeting, his expression showing reserved calm as his helm rested at his waist. "In truth, I am uncertain precisely what is to be found here, though by the inadequate description provided by our pilot I am inclined to ask whether you are the same Aviel which we have come seeking."

She was one-quarter elf, hence her pointy ears weren't really all that pointy. "I am Aviel Tintallia Sunmoss," the woman said smoothly. "Chronomancer and former Chaos Sorceress. Welcome aboard the Shadow of Doubt."

At least the last weeks had not been in vain, Dolen mused, directing a silent thanks to the direction of Tarna and Theo. Very silent. "I am Dolen Ista, late of Iyanden Craftworld, and currently in service to Lord Sedder, who, I am obligated to add, was rather insistent that you be sought out as the only possible source of aid for him." Quite rushed, he knew, but time was not their friend in this endeavor.

Alpha was hanging around nearby. "So... a newcomer. What's your story?" Alpha was dressed in clothing that might be best suited to modern-day Earth, a T-shirt and jeans, and wearing a lightsaber on his belt.

Dolen arched a brow, turning to look at the speaker. "I apologize if that was not clear. Lord Sedder has been reduced to a static state within this vessel, and the last he spoke was of a need to seek out Aviel."

"'Static'?" Alpha blinked. "Could you be a tad less oblique?"

Aviel said, "I will look at Sedder." She went into the ship.

Alpha watched Aviel as she went off.

"He remains suspended in time, his last actions spent combating an alternate version of himself apparently in service to the Chaos Gods." Dolen replied. "Is that clearer?"

Alpha nodded solemnly at Dolen.

Aviel brought Sedder out of the ship, hovering in the air behind her and still in stasis. "Yes, I see what is wrong with him," Aviel commented. "He did not defeat himself... he merged with himself. He did this to himself to prevent himself from harming you. I will take him to the angels."

Dolen straightened as she reappeared with Sedder, his expression grim, "Then it is another debt which I owe to him, for it was at least part of my doing that brought him to that place. Is there aught which I may do to serve in aid?"

Anderos did not even pretend to understand what she meant.

Alpha muttered under his breath. He seemed unsure if Sedder _should_ be trusted, regardless of the circumstance.

Aviel headed toward the lift and said, "He will be fine once the angels have cleansed him. I will return momentarily." She stepped into the lift and headed off to another floor.

Tension reverberated within, but Dolen schooled himself to stillness and an easy attentive stance, prepared to await her return.

Alpha peered at Dolen.

Tarna scratched her head a bit. Tarna said, "Angels? Cleansed? What?"

"The Angels have apparently discovered a way to remove the Chaos taint completely," Alpha explained. "Both Kalli and Aviel have been cleansed."

Tarna just blinks at him slowly.

Alpha shrugged. "I don't get it either. I just know it works."

Dolen started, turning an incredulous glance on Alpha. "Surely you jest?" He then turned his gaze to Tarna and raised a brow in question.

"Okay," Tarna said. "So you're either gonna make me do that or you're gonna shoot me. Got ya. Where are they at?"

"Believe me... that's not something I would joke about... Kalli nearly lost her mind to Tzeentch." Alpha cared for Kalli, and it showed in his tone. "And Aviel just went to see them now... I'm sure when she's done with Sedder she can have them help you, if you wish."

A soft, silvery laugh was forced from Dolen at her statement. "A bit more blunt than I might have said it, but I would heartily recommend such a course of action." He gestured a hand to Alpha in acknowledgement. "Such a tale is common enough, and your fate should you not so choose to do so."

Alpha quirked an eyebrow, not fully grasping his point.

After all she'd been through during her lifetime, Tarna tended to be very good at gauging just when someone was likely to shoot her. Tarna nodded tersely and commented, "Very well. I shall do so."

Dolen could hardly believe such a thing possible, and trusting to it would take longer still, but even the possibility... it gave a hope in a bleak and Chaos-blasted landscape. "Then in that, you have my best wishes as well," he said, "And hope for its success."

The lift doors open shortly and Aviel returns, sans Sedder. "Sedder is being taken care of as we speak. The procedure is extremely painful and he will likely be unconscious for several days following this, but when it is complete he will be again be fully free of Chaos."

Dolen nodded shortly in reply, the tension seeping from him. "You have my greatest thanks then, and my sworn word to repay this debt should my aid ever be required or requested. The taint of the Foul Ones is something I had always been led to believe irrevocable. To see it not so gives something else as well."

Dolen shook his head and looked away, staring thoughtfully into the distance in silence. Alpha looked at Dolen oddly.

"It does not surprise me that those in your universe did not discover the means by which to do it," Aviel commented. "In my observation, few within your universe are willing to give those bound to Chaos the chance to do so, in the unlikely event that they were willing. Nor do I believe that most of them have quite the level of skill of the Elkandu in dealing with the matters of souls."

Dolen winced visibly at her speech, forced to acknowledge all too well the truth of it in many ways. Those of his world were indeed hard and unforgiving, but what might else they have been had they not been thrust forever into the crucible of war after war? He did not know, nor whether he himself might escape just such a vicious cycle of intolerance.

"You are... most perceptive," was his only, soft and melancholy reply.

"I am a Chronomancer," Aviel replied quietly. "I have to be." She gave Tarna directions to the room where the angels were in, and Tarna thanked her and headed for the lift and left.

"Honestly... This only works for people who _want_ to have the taint removed," Alpha said. "The majority of Chaos' forces don't really care, I think."

"Painfully so," Dolen remarked with bitter amusement, turning his attention back to the winged woman. "You might consider it barbaric, and perhaps it is, a land where beings ride their machines of destruction roughshod across the stars in the name of their individual crusades. Yet, one might ask, what would you have us do? I have seen many strange things since arriving here, and much of it lies far beyond my power or comprehension. Am I to then dismiss all which has gone before me in the many years of my life? I can and shall surely adapt, but if this power to remove the taint of Chaos cannot be used on a grand scale then I fear that the paranoia and instant and unblinking reactions of such as myself are still quite needed."

Alpha stretched. "So... where'd you run into Sedder?"

"As to Lord Sedder..." Dolen shook his head, offering an enigmatic smile. "One might say that I stumbled across him at a crossroad, a turning point which set us upon a path most unexpected."

Alpha smirked. "Okay, we just met, so I'll forgive you this time. I absolutely _hate_ riddles."

Aviel said, "During the timeline which was averted, before the Nameless Ones broke free of their prison and ravaged the universe, Sardill closed the Interdimensional Bridge between our universes and cleansed all traces of Chaos from this galaxy, aside from that which was previously inherent to it. Because of the Time-Change, this was undone, and the Black Fleet came and attacked Lezaria." She did not comment that she was the one directly responsible for this.

"What is in a name?" Dolen mused, "Whether it be Sardill or Khaine, perhaps another entirely that should never be mentioned. What comes of the works of Gods when other beings rise up to claim their power? New names, new places, and once again all changes... Chaos inherent to the system..." he trailed off, thoughtful.

"Indeed," Aviel said. "Sardill's powers are great and unmeasured. But it would be folly to do so to those who did not wish to be so. Not all are eager and willing to repent and embrace redemption."

"Either way..." Alpha said, "I have a feeling it's just going to get worse..."

Dolen was yet again reminded of his full lack of perspective in this place, the depths of the water he swam going far beyond anything he might never see. And yet he found those here and there, through listening and pondering, which gave new life to the faint and dying spark of hope which resided within.

"It will indeed grow worse, but will it grow better?" Dolen said. "I must believe so."

"It may... or it may not..." Alpha seemed a bit distracted by his thoughts, but shook his head to clear it.

Aviel smiled faintly. "Indeed so. Chaos is not absolute, as nothing truly is. In the end, the only thing certain is change. There is hope, and there will always be hope, if we are willing to dare to accept it. To save one soul is to save the entire universe."

"Yet the universe is surely lost if action is not taken," Dolen replied, feeling a stirring of tension once more. "You have seen much, and I must assume that you know of the events which passed in the Karzan Empire. Is there any other who is seeking to avert the dangers there that knows their true depth? Are any of these 'Elkandu' likely to intervene before Chaos grows too strong?"

Alpha snorted. "I may not be counted as an Elkandu, but if Chaos threatens me or those I love... Be assured I will fight them myself, if need be."

"I know which was transpiring within the Karzan Galaxy when we came here, however there were matters of importance to be dealt with here before aught else could be undertaken with regards to them," Aviel said. "At this time, however, fighting them directly would be folly. Far too many within the Karzan Galaxy willingly embrace the dark gods. There are those still who can be saved, but we must fight our battles one at a time."

Dolen nodded silently, raising a hand before him and turning it palm upward in acceptance. The scope of events which he now found himself embroiled in, and the powers surrounding them, were far beyond his abilities. This Alpha, at least, spoke of an attitude at least similar to his own. His own decision to remain had not been based solely upon personal danger or threat to those near him, however, merely a desire to see right prevail against Chaos.

"The fleet that came across the Interdimensional Bridge had originally intended to wage war upon your own universe," Aviel said slowly. "But while they are ravaging the Karzan Galaxy, there will be that many fewer of them who are ravaging your own. It is, however, time for us to leave this place. We have much to do elsewhere, and we have done what we came to do here."

Alpha said, "Well... I guess I should head back up to the bridge then."

Dolen looked around, suddenly at quite a loss, not only strange surroundings but suddenly without a purpose to drive him in any direction. He looked back at the ship they'd arrived in, remembering Theodore was still within, and quickly said, "I presume the full crew I arrived with is included in this 'we'," though he might wish else with one of them, "How then may we serve?"

Aviel said, "We must return to Lezaria. You are more than welcome to make yourself quarters aboard the Shadow of Doubt. There are plenty of empty quarters after a number of former crew members were evicted via the airlocks when this ship was taken over."

Dolen offered a crisp bow, "As you wish, and I am thankful for the offer."

Aviel headed off with the intent of having some private time with Asura, leaving them to do whatever they wanted with a short bow.

"If you want to follow me, I'll show you to some quarters you can use," Alpha said.

Dolen nodded, "I would appreciate that. I have nothing beyond what I carry upon me at the moment, so we may proceed at your leisure." He followed.


End file.
